When prospective tenants visit an apartment you have for rent, you want them to love it, or at least like it enough to choose it over other options. Yet how can you do that most effectively? It all depends on the apartment. Some places are more desirable than others. That could be because of location, the age of the building, the apartment's size or layout, or even online reviews. To counter any negatives, you'll need to have some positives, as well. The more benefits you can show prospective tenants, the more likely they will want to rent from you.

Getting Past Those Objections

You need to think about how you're going to overcome objections during the tour of the property. Acknowledging that something is a problem may not be a good idea, and it can be even worse to do that if you don't have plenty of good features/amenities to outweigh that problem. Instead of trying to gloss things over, point out the benefits that are realistic and also address how quickly problems that have occurred have been addressed and corrected. If you've recently had something repaired or upgraded and it was done well, show that to the prospective tenant, too. Countering with a benefit can generally help a prospective tenant see the good in a property.

Price and Cleanliness

Price and cleanliness of the apartment can be big factors. If you can’t get the apartment rented, price may be the problem. Whether you're the landlord or you work for the property management company, it may be time to think about lowering the rent. Of course, there are other ways around that issue, too. If you can show prospective tenants that you're priced well for the market, and that you understand what comparable apartments are costing, that can help these potential renters see that you're giving them a fair deal.

What’s more, if the apartment appears dirty, this will certainly detract from your property. To make your property even more attractive to potential renters, consider having the apartment professionally cleaned.

Don't Give Up on the Right Tenant

You don't want to give up when you know a prospective tenant would be a good choice for the property. You certainly can't force someone to rent from you, and you don't want to chase someone away by being too insistent, but you should also work to overcome any objections that someone may have to renting the apartment. There is generally a positive for nearly any negative, and when you really want to rent to a particular tenant, you can work with this person to address his or her concerns. Unless a potential tenant has completely unreasonable demands, there's a good chance that something can be worked out so he or she will rent the apartment.

Think of It Like an Audition

Good tenants know they are a cut above some of the other renters you might have, and it's important to recognize these tenants so they rent from you for the long term. If you handle the rental well and are responsive to complaints and concerns, that can mean a lot of points in your favor when a prospective tenant is deciding whether to rent from you or someone else. You don't want to jump through hoops or promise too much just to secure tenants, because they won't be staying when they see you aren't following through. However, if you manage your property well and are honest and caring with your tenants, you can generally rent your apartments more easily — and keep them rented to good tenants over the long term.

About the Author

Eric Kinsley is the Content Marketing Manager at American Apartment Owners Association and has over 20 years of experience in the landlord industry. American Apartment Owners Association is the largest landlord association in the country. AAOA’s mission is to provide superior property management services including tenant screening, credit checks, and landlord forms. and has more than 40 years of experience as a landlord. Cronrod has owned, rehabbed, developed and managed more than 4,000 rental units throughout the United States.